


happy half-birthday

by sleepyakaashi



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Fluff, M/M, they're supposed to be in high school but they act like 5 yr olds lmao, this is literally just fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-31
Updated: 2015-03-31
Packaged: 2018-03-20 13:29:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3652107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyakaashi/pseuds/sleepyakaashi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'Kaneki feels his lips curl up, as the affection he feels towards his best friend reclaims him. A tumbling of pleasant emotions settle inside, while he simply enjoys the presence of the other boy.'</p>
            </blockquote>





	happy half-birthday

**Author's Note:**

> alternatively titled as 'of homos and half-birthdays' by my MEAN friend [tina](http://hideyoshi-n-agachika.tumblr.com/)

The sky is a bright blue and the clouds are white puffs scattered throughout it. It’s a pleasant day, one with weather closer to summer than spring.

There’s a cool breeze in the air and the sun beats down warmly, the kind of warmth you want to stretch out and curl up in.

The branches murmur softly in the wind,  _‘come and watch us dance’_ , the leaves seem to say, and Kaneki is entirely content to do just that.

It’s such a nice day out-and even nicer because Hide is right there, sitting next to him.

Hair a spiky blonde mess and eyes relaxed into a daze, Hide is quiet and thoughtful as he sits next to his best friend.

They’re sitting under a tree, somewhere near their school’s fields. Exams are soon, and classes have been dismissed for the day but the two are satisfied to wile away the afternoon in comfortable silence.

Kaneki’s not one to normally do this, no, with exams right around the corner- that too final year exams- his nose should be stuck in a textbook or two, not smelling the freshness of the air.

He knows, that he must do his very best in the coming exams so he can apply and get accepted in a good college as soon as possible and as a result of, leave the horrible place he’s to call ‘home’.

But, that’s not home. Not really. Kaneki knows, that ‘home’ is sitting next to him. ‘Home’ is the smile he knows awaits him when he turns to look at Hide.

When Hide smiles, his eyes scrunch shut and his grin takes up most of his face. He always smiles without any effort, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world to do for him.

It’s like looking directly at the sun, and Kaneki melts in its warmth.

Kaneki feels his lips curl up, as the affection he feels towards his best friend reclaims him. A tumbling of pleasant emotions settle inside, while he simply enjoys the presence of the other boy.

 _Home_. That’s right. That’s what Hide is for him. A place he can always return to, no matter what or when. Whether it’s conversing in hushed whispers during class, or studying together in the library or even just sitting in pure silence with each other, like they are now, there’s no place Ken would rather be.

He  _belongs_  with Hide; every inch of his soul knows this. It’s in the way he smiles without thought when the other is around, the way nothing makes him happier than seeing Hide erupt with joy when he finally gets a CD he’s been waiting for for a while, the way Kaneki’s very bones feel tired and lifeless when he’s alone, as if he’s been drained of what keeps him running.

These are poetic words that Ken has read countless times in various novels, each time in a different way, but for some reason he doesn’t realize this.  For now, he’s happy and content, just to be able to smile at Hide without giving a reason.

And so of course, he’s not going to say no when Hide drags him outside when they should be studying because of something ‘ _Very_ important! I swear!’

“ _Kaaaneki_ , you still haven’t asked me why I brought you here. I mean, come on. You made such a big deal out of it and now you’re not even asking what it was for.” Hide pouts, playfully, as he nudges his friend’s ankle with his own.

Kaneki sighs. “Okay, fine. What is it? What was so important that you had to interrupt our study session? Please don’t tell me it is the same reason as  _last time._ ”

Hide knows that Kaneki’s words hold no malice at all. “Hey! I  _did_  see a UFO that time, okay!” He argues back. When Kaneki just purses his lips in response, Hide  _tsks_  and shakes his head. “Okay, fine. Don’t believe me. When the aliens come and get you, I’ll just have to talk to them and get them to agree to let you go. But never mind that! I called you out here today for a different reason. Say, Kaneki, do you know what day it is today?” The blonde asks eagerly.

“The 20th of June…?” Kaneki questions back, not sure what he’s getting at.

“Yes! And do you know what day that is?” Hide asks again, voice rising in anticipation, as he grips Kaneki’s shoulders and looks expectantly into the latter’s eyes.

“N-no…?”

“ _Kaneki_! It’s your half-birthday!” Hide exclaims with excitement, shaking Kaneki slightly while he does so.

“Oh really…” Kaneki says, unimpressed.

“Happy half-birthday, Kaneki!” Hide wishes him, still shaking him as if maybe if he does so hard enough he can shake some excitement into Kaneki too.

“Thank you.” Kaneki responds curtly. “You really called me out here for  _that?_  It’s not even a big deal or anything…” He shakes his head, but not unkindly. He would be a liar if he said he didn’t enjoy Hide’s various whims.

“Kaaa-nee-kii. That’s not really nice, you know. I even got you a gift and everything…” Hide pouts again, finally lets go of his friend, crossing his arms right after.

“What? Hide you didn’t have to do that!”

“But I did and if I don’t give it to you now, it’s going to go bad. Are you saying you don’t want it? My precious gift that I went through so much trouble to get for my precious friend…” Hide trails off, very obviously trying to guilt him.

“No, no! It’s okay. I want it. Please give it to me.” Kaneki holds his hand out, palm facing upward, ready to receive his gift.

“You don’t seem like you want it. It’s fine, you don’t have to  _force_ yourself to accept my gift or anything.” Hide says, looking away.

Kaneki rolls his eyes. “ _Hide_. I want it, okay?  I’m not forcing myself to do anything. So  _please_  give me the gift.” He says to him, lightly poking his friend in the side with his elbow.

Smartly deciding to not push it any more than he already has, Hide relents in an instant, turning around to grab his school bag from where they’d kept both of theirs and rummages through it until he pulls out a slightly crumpled paper box, like one you would get from a bakery.

“Is that a…cake?” Kaneki asks, slightly taken aback.

“Yes! No birthday is complete without cake, after all. I got chocolate- it was the only flavour they had that wasn’t gross, and I know it’s not your favourite but they ran out of banana bread and anyways that’s not even  _cake_ , also it’s been sitting in my bag for a few hours now-the cake hasn’t gone bad or anything, don’t worry about that- and so it might be a little smushed and soft and messy and the chocolate might have melted, I hope you don’t mind-“

“I don’t mind,” Kaneki tells him numbly. “I don’t mind at all.”                                

Hide’s cheek burn slightly red as he nods wordlessly and begins peeling away the tape that’s stuck on the top of the box. After that’s off, he pulls out a slice of an admittedly sad looking chocolate cake, and hands it to Kaneki.

Kaneki doesn’t mind in the  _least_. He could have just been handed a week’s old can of stale popcorn, and he would have been just as happy.

“I got two slices, one for me and one for you.” Hide explains, bashfully looking up at the other boy.

Kaneki just smiles at him, smile wide enough that his  _teeth_  show, something that Hide is sure no one else has ever seen.

Hide grins back, and pulls out his own slice. “Happy half birthday, Kaneki!” He exclaims yet another time, before biting into the chocolate cake.

Kaneki follows suit and the cake is  _good._  Smushed, or not smushed, chocolate cake tastes nice either way.

The two eat the cake in the same companionable silence as before, until Kaneki ends up breaking it.

“Thank you, Hide.” He says earnestly, looking at the other. “Half birthdays aren’t a big deal, but thank you for doing this anyways.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Don’t thank me for silly things like this.” Hide answers, teasingly pushing his friend. “I’m your friend, friends do stuff like this.”

Kaneki is used to Hide’s antics and while he didn’t expect any of this, it certainly wasn’t something he wouldn’t do. That doesn’t mean Kaneki loves it any less, however. If anything, he finds it becoming nearly impossible to keep it all in. How lucky he is, to have Nagachika Hideyoshi as a best friend. Smiling once again to himself, he takes another large and messy bite of the cake-which truly is really good- and savours it, closing his eyes.

“Wait,” Hide says to him, and Kaneki opens his eyes again. “You have some cake right there…” He explains, before leaning forward and wiping it away himself from the corner of Kaneki’s mouth with his index finger.

Kaneki just blinks at him as he then proceeds to stick it in his own mouth, licking away whatever chocolate had been on it, like it’s no big deal.

Kaneki turns away and feels his cheeks turn red, and an odd sort of heat curl in his stomach.  _What is this?_ This isn’t something he’s used to.

Hide doesn’t react at all, and merely goes about on his business as he always does, focusing entirely on the remainder of his own cake.

Kaneki shakes his head to clear it of any weird thoughts before shoving what’s left of his cake into his mouth, and then choking on it right afterwards.

“Woa! Slow down there. I didn’t know you liked chocolate cake so much!” Hide tells him, patting Kaneki on the back as he coughs and gulps down water from his water bottle.

Kaneki just narrows his eyes at his seemingly innocent friend, before wiping his mouth off with the back of his hand.

“Okay, I can tell you’re getting restless. Let’s go back to the library and continue studying.” Hide relents, sighing before reaching over to collect his bag.

“Yes…” Kaneki answers, absentmindedly rubbing at his chin. Hide just looks at him and grins, beaming as the two get up and make their way to the library.

**Author's Note:**

> unedited; will edit later.i wrote this at 2 am,, wat to do i wish it was quality too //looks off into the distance


End file.
